A litter of bunnies were born at the University of Istanbul in Turkey earlier this month. All were given a clean bill of health, despite the fact that two of them glowed a bright green when placed under ultraviolet light. The pair of fluorescent fur-babies had been injected with a gene for a jellyfish protein in a process called transgenesis.

Bunnies aren't the first animals to go green. Cats that were genetically-engineered to carry a protein that defends against feline immunodeficiency virus, the cat version of HIV, were also injected with the jellyfish gene as a physical indicator of the cat's immunity. If the cat glowed green under ultraviolet light, it was FIV-resistant and totally far-out, man.

Glowing bunnies are cute and all, but it still begs the question: what's the point? Jellyfish genes give scientists a simple indicator that a gene was successfully transferred into a new animal. The ultimate goal is to use the process to insert genes into livestock for use in medications. "Animals can make valuable proteins in their milk that humans use for medicine, and you can extract the proteins quite easily," Stefan Moisyadi, an associate professor at the University of Hawaii Manoa, said. "It would make certain pharmaceutical production extremely cost-effective."

I suspect these will miniature dogs and become the new "in" pet for celebrities. Then everybody will want one to mimic them, eventually leading to problems with people taking them to nightclubs and causing all sorts of havoc.

Is this really news? Not to discredit the writer, but stuff like this has been happening for quite some time. We've done it with Kittens, mice, some other rodents, and now rabbits. I guess the difference might be they will live longer than the two-three days the kittens did. Um. I need something to counteract sounding like a bitch...Genetics! Yeah!Though I did read it as "Glowing bunnies born out of a turkey" which would've been pretty damn interesting. Bunnies that glew, birthed from a turkey.

Seems latelty every lab with a PCR unit is tripping over themselves to make their big mark on the world by having their own fluorescent critter. And you know what? I dig it. A lab is not a church, you can have a ball every now and then dammit.

The question now is, what's it gonna take to one-up all the other labs at this point? Say, didn't someone recently isolate a decent wooly mammoth DNA sample or something? Hmmmmmm...

Not really that impressive by this point.. Now if they would start making more radical changes, that would be pretty cool. Seriously, I haven't seen anything jaw-dropping since the earmouse, and wtf ever happened to that thing anyway? It seems like we should be using what we learned from that to grow all kinds of things. Move your ass, scientists.

For you bud.Show this glowing. That's how you sell these things to anyone with a pulse.

SadisticFire:Is this really news? Not to discredit the writer, but stuff like this has been happening for quite some time. We've done it with Kittens, mice, some other rodents, and now rabbits. I guess the difference might be they will live longer than the two-three days the kittens did.

D: Wha...What!

Evil Smurf:I want glow in the dark bunnies and kitties. They would be friends and have tea parties.

For you bud.Show this glowing. That's how you sell these things to anyone with a pulse.

SadisticFire:Is this really news? Not to discredit the writer, but stuff like this has been happening for quite some time. We've done it with Kittens, mice, some other rodents, and now rabbits. I guess the difference might be they will live longer than the two-three days the kittens did.

D: Wha...What!

Evil Smurf:I want glow in the dark bunnies and kitties. They would be friends and have tea parties.

For you bud.Show this glowing. That's how you sell these things to anyone with a pulse.

SadisticFire:Is this really news? Not to discredit the writer, but stuff like this has been happening for quite some time. We've done it with Kittens, mice, some other rodents, and now rabbits. I guess the difference might be they will live longer than the two-three days the kittens did.

D: Wha...What!

Evil Smurf:I want glow in the dark bunnies and kitties. They would be friends and have tea parties.

bliebblob:Seems latelty every lab with a PCR unit is tripping over themselves to make their big mark on the world by having their own fluorescent critter. And you know what? I dig it. A lab is not a church, you can have a ball every now and then dammit.

The question now is, what's it gonna take to one-up all the other labs at this point? Say, didn't someone recently isolate a decent wooly mammoth DNA sample or something? Hmmmmmm...

For you bud.Show this glowing. That's how you sell these things to anyone with a pulse.

SadisticFire:Is this really news? Not to discredit the writer, but stuff like this has been happening for quite some time. We've done it with Kittens, mice, some other rodents, and now rabbits. I guess the difference might be they will live longer than the two-three days the kittens did.

D: Wha...What!

Evil Smurf:I want glow in the dark bunnies and kitties. They would be friends and have tea parties.

They're dead! They're all DEAD! WHY! D: WHHHHHYYYYYYY!

WHO KILLED MY FRIENDS! MAH FRANDS! I need a hug.

It will okay Smurf. It's all going to be okay.PHA+PGltZyBzcmM9Imh0dHA6Ly9pbWFnZXNoYWNrLnVzL2EvaW1nMjY4LzE3NjkvdHVtYmxybWU1YmZiZG52bjFyMW10c2QuZ2lmIiBhbHQ9ImltYWdlIi8+PGJyIC8+U2lkZSBub3RlOiBOaWNlIFNjaHJvZGluZ2VyIGpva2UuPC9wPg==